CCTV could reveal the face of rapist

The face of the rapist who pounced on a teenage girl in broad daylight in a busy shopping centre park car park could have been captured on CCTV.

Police officers are gathering footage from the hundreds of cameras at thecentre:mk in the hope that one will show the Sunday lunchtime attack.

The 17-year-old victim was grabbed by the man as she was walking along and then raped in one of the centre’s car parks. At that time of day thousands of shoppers would have been visiting the centre and police are convinced some may be able to provide vital clues.

They believe passers-by may have seen a scuffle or even heard screams but passed it off as a dispute or altercation between a couple.

Meanwhile officers are trying to work out the exact location of the attack as it is understood the victim has so far been too traumatised to identify it.

Detective Sergeant Luke Grove told the Citizen: “Officers are conducting a thorough investigation and pursuing all possible lines of enquiry, including gathering and viewing CCTV footage.

“We have not yet been able to identify a more specific location for where this incident took place, other than that it was in one of the Milton Keynes shopping centre car parks.

“We are doing everything we can to narrow this down and that is why it is vital that any members of the public who saw or heard anything on that afternoon which could have been related to this incident should get in touch with us as soon as possible.”

Mr Grove added: “It is important that victims of offences of this nature feel confident in reporting them to us, and know that we will always investigate fully. Anyone who has any information about this or other incidents should be assured that they can speak to officers in confidence.”

The teenager was grabbed by a man as she walked through the car park close to the shopping centre between 12.45pm and 1pm.

Anyone who saw an altercation, a young woman who appeared distressed or a man acting suspiciously at that time is urged to call police on 101. If they do not want to speak directly to the police they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.